


This is the Curse

by kyosohmastan



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket Another
Genre: Angst, Coming of Age, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-07-23 12:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20007970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyosohmastan/pseuds/kyosohmastan
Summary: Hajime Sohma has had growing suspicions that the Sohma family is hiding a secret. After years of pondering what that secret could be, it comes to a head when he meets his father's father who might just have the information he needs. He's more than ready to finally find out what exactly is the Sohma family's curse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this for my tumblr, but I thought it might be a good idea to share it here too. I'm brand new to this site so I want to get it started right away! I have another Furuba fanfic on the way, but I hope you enjoy this one in the meantime. This is chapter 1 out of 3.
> 
> My Fruits Basket pages:  
> Instagram: @kyosohmastan http://www.instagram.com/kyosohmastan  
> Tumblr: @kyosohmastan http://www.tumblr.kyosohmastan.com  
> YouTube: Miss Mady https://bit.ly/2tloklC

The Sohma estate is filled with too many mysteries to uncover, if I ever do. It seems like every corner I turn, there are adults, usually on the older side of the spectrum who look at me as if I’m something inhuman. It’s been like this every time we visit the main house and right now, we have returned for New Years. Apparently, it’s always been a big holiday for the family. 

Dad fights us on going every year and I can never figure out why. He has to have bad memories. Every time we walk to Grandpa Kazuma’s dojo, he looks as if he dreads being here. It’s particularly when we pass a small house big enough to fit only one room in the back of the compound where he gets really uncomfortable. His shoulders tense and he avoids looking at it like just gazing at it will curse him with some sort of plague. 

I’ll admit that it looks incredibly dreary. It has only one window and the inside looks pitch dark. I couldn’t find any sources of light in there. I don’t know its purpose or what such a small, desolate looking house is doing on the Sohma’s land full of hundreds of exquisite buildings. It stands out in the worst way.

I pass it again as I make my way to the dojo to meet up with Mutsuki at the main house. Even I can’t bring myself to look at it anymore. The place seems almost haunted, which has me curious on what exactly went on in there.

Mutsuki hops down the steps to the main house. “What took you so long, slow-poke?”

I stop at the bottom of the stairs, slipping my hands into the heavy material of my winter coat. “Just observing the beauty that is the estate.”

“It’s more melancholy than beautiful this time of year,” he says and opens the front door of the house. “Never mind that, though. You have to see how the banquet room looks. It’s all made up for the celebration tomorrow.” He goes down the hallway, passing a few maids along the way who are carrying bouquets of flowers into the banquet room. He has way more excitement over this than I do, but Mutsuki gets ecstatic over everything.

“Oh, Hajime, hi,” Shi-Chan says as he comes out of the banquet room. “I’m so glad you’re here. Could you help bring in the flowers? We’re short on maids right now and could use an extra hand.”

“Sure,” I say, then follow one of the maids to the truck in the front of the house that carried the flowers. The back of the vehicle is piled with them. Apparently, the head of the family has a thing for flowers so it’s not like it’s a surprise. 

I reach into the trunk and pull out a bouquet of baby’s breath, dragging the vase out. 

“Kyo?” says someone behind me. I’ve grown used to people mistaking me for my dad, so I react right away and turn around, facing someone I’ve never seen before, but he obviously knows my dad.

I set the pot down on the ground, it being too heavy to hold for too long. “I’m sorry, Kyo’s my father. I’m Hajime. Do you know him?” I ask. Now that I get a good look at him, he looks like my dad. They have the same eyes and they look like mine as well. He has to be a Sohma, but there’s got to be more to it than that. Maybe he’s a close relative.

“You’re his son?” He says it as if the very thought was incomprehensible. He flicks away his cigarette and it sinks into the wet snow beside my feet. “I wasn’t aware he had children.”

My bad vibe senses get triggered. Everything about this guy reeks of something toxic. It’s the way he said that with such disdain that makes it seem like him having a kid is something to look down upon. “May I ask who you are?”

“I’m Kyo’s father. How strange that we haven’t bumped into each other. You live on the estate?”

Oh, shit. I’d heard about him from Dad and I never intended to ever see him. From what I gathered, this guy was horrible to him, verbally abusing him for reasons my dad won’t tell me. But whatever the reasons, how he treated him was inexcusable and the very idea of him abusing my father made me hate the guy without ever meeting him.

I move away from the truck to let the maids get to the vases. “No, I’m just visiting for New Year’s. But I never had any intentions of running into you.” I try to keep myself as neutral as I can, but quickly fail. I can’t bring myself to show this guy any respect, even though Mom says it’s important to respect your elders.

“Well, that isn’t very nice. Surely not something you would say to your grandfather,” he says, ending his statement with a smirk.

My blood boils within seconds. “I already have a grandfather.”

“You mean Kazuma? You know, he only took your father in for the paycheck,” he says.

Without hesitation, I turn and pick the pot back up, done with this guy and this conversation. “I know that’s a lie.”

“I’m only being realistic. Kazuma only adopted him because he pitied the monster,” he says. There it was again; the monster. The other day, a woman I ran into at the back of the main house called me the same thing. I still don’t know what it means.

“You could be one too. You should get that checked out.” He snickers and the sound seems closer. I turn and find him standing over me. 

My shoulders tense, but I refuse to make myself seem vulnerable. “I…don’t know what you’re talking. But my dad isn’t a monster, whatever you say.” I push past him, hauling the pot in my arm. “I’ve heard plenty about you. You abused my dad and my grandmother. That’s why I never wanted anything to do with you. So in that case, I’ll be going.” My foot hits the bottom step of the porch of the main house. I have to get out of here. I shouldn’t have even spoken a word to him. Mom and Dad wouldn’t have wanted me to and now it was too late.

“Well, that hurts,” he grumbles, leaning against the truck. “So you don’t know about the curse then?”

I can’t comprehend what he means, but it has to have something to do with all these questions I’ve been having. It has to be the thing this family is trying to hide.

I long to ask him more. This could be my chance to finally know what the hell was blatantly being kept a secret to me. I turn back to him, contemplating once again whether or not to ask him about it, but my lips seal tight and my eyes widen as I watch my dad come toward us.

He takes one look at his father and his eyes narrow, almost becoming cat-like. “What are you doing here?” He asks not so nicely.

I hardly ever hear him sound like that. His voice was deep and stern like he was trying to feel superior to his father who wasn’t really his father at all. Not like Grandpa Kazuma was to him.

The man backed away from the truck and my dad slowly. “I was just passing by and saying hello to my grandson.”

“He’s not your grandson,” Dad says, leveling his tone of voice unlike earlier. “I think it’s time you leave.”

The man chuckles and it doesn’t sound at all pleasant. “I was already leaving. Have a good New Year’s.” He turns to leave, but stops mid step and looks over his shoulder at Dad. “I’ll leave you with this question, Kyo. What made you think you had the right to bring any offspring of yours into this world?”

My heart sinks to my stomach all at once. That was the wrong thing to say to both me and Dad. I clutch the pot harder and Dad balls his fist. Even from a few feet away, I can spot the rapid tick in his jaw. 

“Leave,” my dad says in nearly a whisper. 

The man shrugs and leaves, his question going unanswered. But I think that was his intention.

I let out a breath I’d been holding. “Dad, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything-” He was in front of me in a flash before I could finish my thought.

He touches my cheek and examines my face. “He didn’t hurt you, right?”

I shake my head. “No. No, I’m fine. We just talked,” I say, biting my lip.

“What did he say to you?”

I put the pot down once again. These flowers are never going to make it into the house at this point. “He said I should check to make sure that I’m not a monster.”

Dad flinched then rose up from his position on the ground. “Don’t listen to him.”

“But what does that mean? There was a woman who called me the same thing. Something’s being kept from me.” I try not to sound angry, but my tone is getting harsher. This is so frustrating. I’m sick of continuously wondering what is going on, what is being kept from me. I’m no longer suspicious. I know there’s something this family is trying to hide. “Please, dad. If there’s something going on that affects me, please tell me. I can’t stand being this confused anymore.”

My dad’s eyes finally soften, his cat-like pupils fading away. He sighs and picks up the pot. “You’re old enough to know now. Mom and I planned to tell you eventually.” He makes his way up the steps and I follow.

“You’re finally going to tell me? You promise?” I ask. But Dad wouldn’t ever lie.

“Promise,” he says. He uses his free hand to ruffle my hair. “When we get back home, Mom and I will tell you.”

Relief floods over me like a strong ripple in the water. After all these years, I’d get my answers. “Thank you.” We enter the house and I hold the door open for him. “So what brings you to the main house?”

“I was curious to see how the preparation for the banquet was going,” he says. “I’d be more excited, but I’m not fond of New Year’s this year.”

I look up at him just slightly. He was only about five inches taller than me. “Why not?”

He grimaces and turns his gaze away from mine. “Because it’s the year of the rat.”


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day went by without any further issues. However, I was still shaken up from meeting my dad’s father. I’ve been anxious to get home to hear about this curse, as unbelievable as the concept seems.

“You still look nervous. Are you sure you’re okay?” My dad asks me and the guilt hits me for making him worry. He moves a tree branch out of the way for me and I trudge ahead to the house in the estate we were staying at.

“I’m still a little bothered over running into him, but I’ll be fine. It’s just…do you really regret having me?” The question slips out before I can think it through.

His lips turn down. “No. Absolutely not. Don’t let what he said get to you.”

I nod and let the subject go. Why would he be undeserving of having kids anyway? Unless he’s hiding the reason from me. It must have something to do with the curse.

I enter onto the glistening, frost covered grass leading up to the house. 

“Kyo-Kun! Hajime! Welcome back!” My mom says, exiting the house and racing towards us. I stop in the middle of the lawn, arms spread in her direction to catch her in case she falls.

“Don’t run!” My dad and I shout at the same time. She comes into my arms and hugs me so hard, every last breath leaves me. She has to lean further than usual to hold me due to her round belly being wedged between us.

Dad catches up to us and knocks his knuckles against Mom’s head. “You idiot! You can’t run while you’re pregnant!”

She lets me go and hides her smile behind her hands. “I’m sorry. I was just so excited to come out here and tell you two that I successfully made hot dogs for the first time!”

The words needed to ask her what made her decide to cook western food are on the tip of my tongue, but my dad maneuvers around me and throws his arm around Mom’s shoulders. He pulls her against him and plants a lingering kiss on her lips. As always, I’m the third wheel. They act like such a teenage couple. It makes me have to force back a gag.

Hachiro clears his throat from the open doorway of the house. “The hot dogs are going to burn. I think they’re ready,” he says. 

“Let’s go!” I say all too eagerly. Thank God for an excuse to get out of that uncomfortable situation. My parents follow behind us and Mom begins serving us our plates.

I turn on the electric heater on the kotatsu and settle down next to it, removing my heavy coat and handing it to Dad for him to hang up in the foyer closet beside his. The heated fabric feels amazing on my chilled skin. Coming back to a warm house is truly a blessing during this winter season.

Hachiro plops down next to me and examines my face with concern. “You look troubled.”

“Really?” I relax my features, or at least try to. 

“He is troubled,” Dad says as he sits across from me. “And we’ll tell you guys the reason behind it.”

“The reason behind what?” Mom asks. She sets the plate of buns on the middle of the kotatsu before sitting down. I take a bun and put my hot dog together, awaiting for my dad to go on.

“The curse. I promised we’d tell him about it,” my dad says to Mom.

Her smile drops and her forehead creases. “But I don’t think-”

“Please, Mom,” I say, dropping the bun. “I can’t take not knowing anymore.”

“What’s this about?” Hachiro asks. As far as I know, the curse hasn’t affected him as much. Although during the nights we’ve been left alone in either one of our rooms, when the house is the most quiet, we bounce our speculations off of each other about what the family is hiding. 

“He’s thirteen,” Dad says, pushing his plate an inch away and placing his chin on his knuckles. “We were going to tell him when he was at least twelve anyway.”

The corners of Mom’s lips dip further. I can’t fathom the harm it would be to tell me. Perhaps this secret is more serious than I thought.

“Yes, you’re right,” she mumbles. She releases a shakey sigh. “I know both of you have been curious. But what brought this up so suddenly?”

Dad has the same unnerving expression as I have. “He bumped into my dad. Not Kazuma. The other one.”

“Oh. Oh, no.” Mom slides closer to the edge of the kotatsu, her hand finding mine underneath it. “We didn’t think we’d find him here. From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t get out much. Are you okay?”

I nod a bit too vigorously. “I’m fine, honestly. It wasn’t a pleasant experience though.” She squeezes my hand harder and I move on from the topic so as not to make her worry any further. “He told me I could be cursed. I just want to know what that means.”

“I see,” Mom says, and a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes returns to her face. “Then let’s not keep you two in the dark anymore.”

Hachiro chomped down on his hot dog, but looked to Mom and Dad intently, waiting just as I had been for years.

“First of all, don’t freak out.” Dad chuckles. He spends a few moments in silence to gather his thoughts. “The Sohmas used to be cursed for generations. Thirteen of us would transform into one of the animals from the Chinese zodiac when hugged by someone of the opposite gender, or sick or under a lot of stress.” 

One of us was cursed as the role as God, which was the head of the Sohma family.” Dad looks up from his gaze on the surface of the kotatsu to confirm that we are still listening. “The head put the majority of us through hell. Not only that, but our parents all but abandoned us. It wasn’t a good time, to put it lightly.”

So it truly was a curse. It sounds like it in every sense of the word. As unbelievable as it seems, the evidence backing it up was undeniable; the relentless ridicule my cousins, particularly Akito, Yuki, Rin, and even Dad received from their parents today, the uneasiness all of them appear to feel whenever the past was brought up, it all made sense.

“So then…were you apart of it? You changed into an animal?” I ask. There was no way he wasn’t involved. The look of pure agony he gives every time the word “curse” is mention is proof of the fact that he was. And there has to be a reason why his father hates him.

Dad nods, closing his eyes and furrowing his brows. Making him have to recount his past that he’s always tried to keep hidden away causes an ache in my chest. “Yes. I was the cat,” he says.

Hachiro finishes the remainder of his hot dog, then blurts, “But how?! From the story Mom tells us, the cat was never a part of the zodiac. He was shunned by the other animals.”

Dad laughs and the tension that leaves his body helps me relax again. “The cat isn’t a part of it. That’s why I was very ostracized from the family for years.”

Mom nods and speaks, most likely to give Dad a breather. He appears hesitant to go on. “The cat was the most cursed out of everyone. He was doomed to spend the rest of his days in isolation after getting out of High School. I believe you’ve passed by the small house he would have stayed in, Hajime.”

That’s what that was for. The reason it had made Dad and I feel so uneasy every time we went near it came to light completely.

“He also turned into a beast unless he was wearing special beads that prevented him from doing so,” Mom says.

It’s no wonder he never wants to talk about it. I can’t even imagine it. To have to go through something as incomprehensibly terrifying as that. 

“He transformed into the cat’s true form in front of me one day,” she continued. “It wasn’t easy to see, but…”

“I ran away,” Dad adds. “I was prepared to never see her again. I thought she’d be so terrified that she would reject me. But she came after me.” A grin pops onto his face as he looks to Mom. “She told me that she wanted to stay with me even though she was afraid of me. That’s when I fell in love with her. No one had ever told me that before.”

Mom hangs her head and blushes. “Who knows what would have happened had I not brought him back home?” She cooes and lays her head on Dad’s shoulder.

“You wouldn’t have had us,” Hachiro says, making a valid point. That’s a scary thought.

“You’re right!” Mom gasps, lifting her head. “And we wouldn’t want that!”

Getting back to the matter at hand, I say, “You said the curse is broken. How did it break? Especially after being in the family for so many generations.”

Dad ate the last of his hot dog before speaking. I start on mine as well. I had gotten so wrapped up in the conversation that I neglected eating. “The curse gradually weakened over time. Some of our spirits left us before others, in fact. But the driving force that broke it in the end was actually your mother’s doing.” He placed his hand on top of hers. “She helped every one of us trust in her more than the head. Suddenly, she was the most important person in our lives and that lifted it. I really don’t know what we’d do without her.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Mom remarks. She rolls her eyes with her trademark goofy smile. It sounds like it was everything.

Taking it all in, I come to the realization that everything I heard isn’t as bad as it seems for the sole reason that the curse is broken. It wasn’t ongoing. The Sohmas, including my parents, Hachiro, and my new sister wouldn’t be plagued by it. I had nothing to worry over after all.

“Thank you for telling us,” I say. “I’m so happy to know. It’s been eating at me for so long. I’m…truly grateful.”

Mom side hugs me and I wrap my arms around her fragile waist. “We’ve been hesitant to tell you because we didn’t want it to dishearten you. It’s a serious thing. We don’t want you to think less of your father because of it.”

I release her, baffled by the very thought. Nothing could convince me to be disillusioned because of Dad. My adoration for everyone in my life is unconditional. I turn my attention to my father. “How could I think that of you? If anything, I have a higher viewpoint on you. To have gone through that and in the end be the strong, optimistic person you are today is astonishing. You deserve it.” When am I ever one to get this sappy? But I think Dad needs to hear these words from his own child. Something tells me he wants just that. However, being this vulnerable moves me to turn my gaze down to my lap. “I’m glad you’re happy. I’m glad you didn’t lose hope that you would get to this point in your life. I’m relieved you never got locked away because the world really is a beautiful place with you in it.” I lift my head only to find droplets lining my dad’s eyes. He gazes at me with his lips parted in what has to be surprise.

I gather my courage to really look him in the eye. “I love you. I’m so happy that you don’t have to go through that pain anymore. Thank you for telling me.” I bow my head and Hachiro does the same after thanking them. 

When I raise it again, Dad is shedding a river of tears while forming a shaky smile. “I will never forgive you for making me cry in front of you guys.” He laughs weakly, quickly wiping his cheeks and under his eyes.

Mom plants a big kiss on his lips and snuggles his arm. “We all love you.” She positions herself onto his lap while he kisses her back.

Oh, dear, God, I need to abort this place. “Okay! Well, again, thanks for dinner. I’ll be heading to-”

“Wait! Do you want to see the real beads? You actually see them every day. They’re on the bookshelf in the living room,” Mom tells me.

Realization dawns on me. “So that’s what those are. I can look at them with new eyes now.”

“True,” Dad says, standing up as I do. “Then I’ll show them to you with those new eyes.”

I hand my empty plate to Mom then follow him to the floor to ceiling bookshelf lining the wall. It’s filled with more photos and momentos than actual books. Right next to a picture of my mom as a baby with Grandpa Katsuya and Grandma Kyoko, sits a bowl that holds several red and white beads. 

I pick one up, testing the texture between my thumb and fore finger. “They feel unusual.”

“That’s because they’re made from human bones. The red ones were dipped in blood.” His eyes narrow on the bead I hold. “Lots of lives were lost in order to make that bracelet.”

I meet his gaze for a moment then turn it back to the single red bead now in my palm. In all the years these have sat here on this shelf, I would have never guessed they have held this much history. Every single bead represents one life given in order to assure that the cat was protected from its true form.

I close my palm over the bead and close my eyes, saying a silent prayer to the sacrifices made to save my father from the wrath of the cat’s original form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on the last chapter to this one along with some other fics so bear with me, but it will be out real soon. Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

2 years later

The house is huge; the floors creaking, giving away it’s age. It doesn’t seem like only two occupants should live here. Four rooms, yet half of them are empty.

Kinu is letting me stay here while attending high school. I’ve moved here just a week after I passed my entrance exams. Of course, there are plenty of schools in my area back at home. But attending the school Mom and Dad went to just felt right. When Mutsuki told me he was also planning on going there, my decision was made. At least next year, I’d be going to school with someone I know.

My room is completely empty save for a bed and nightstand. An echo hit the walls as I set my last box down. I left most of my things back at home, but I’ve taken the most important things with me. Books I’d need for school, pictures and my dad’s bracelet which Mom had given me. She had restrung the beads for me and insisted that I take them, even though Dad didn’t know. However, we both agreed that he’d love for me to wear them.

They’re sitting in the pocket of my duffel bag, waiting to be worn after sitting in dust for over a decade. I unzip the pocket and take out the bracelet, once again feeling the remnants of bone on my finger tips. I slip it onto my wrist and grin down at it. 

I’d have to show Dad before they leave. They’re currently downstairs with Kinu so I shouldn’t keep them waiting. I stand, setting the duffel bag on the twin bed. This was my dad’s room when he lived here, which is why I chose it. At least I’d have a piece of him here. The air is musky, but it still smells like him somehow.

I make my way down the stairs, overhearing Mom chatting with Kinu in the foyer.

“He really likes salmon and oranges. He loves them especially together. And he tends to sleep in a lot so make sure he sets an alarm or wake him up if you can. Ah, and he likes it when you start the bath for him. His skin gets dry in the winter so after he bathes you might want to lather his back…” my mom says.

Figures. “What the hell?” I say, feeling the blush spread to my cheeks. “I told you I don’t need lotion anymore!”

Mom frowns. “But what if your skin gets flakey? I don’t want my baby to suffer.”

I swallow my retort and sigh instead. “I can lotion myself up. Kinu doesn’t have to do anything.” I side hug her as a way to show her that I’m not pissed. I’m just slightly embarrassed.

“You won’t have anything to worry about. I’ll take care of him like he’s my own kid,” Kinu says, fiddling with the end of her braid. “You know he’s like my little brother.”

“Thank you,” dad replies. He looks to me, his smile turning sad. “You wanna walk us out?”

I nod, holding my hands behind my back. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. I refuse to. I especially can’t cry in front of Dad. My mom always encourages me to get emotional. She even says it’s healthy. Still, I’m not a baby anymore. I have to hold myself together.

Hachiro is sitting on the porch step with Hayami, my little sister, on his lap. He stands, holding her on his hip. “It’s time to go?”

“It’s time,” Dad replies. “Say goodbye to your brother.”

With a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth, Hachiro approaches me and hands me Hayami. Her arms that still hold her baby fat circle around my neck. I place my hand on her back with my arm supporting her bottom. I don’t want to let her go. She’s still only two years old. I’ll be missing out on watching her grow up. But it’s a sacrifice I have to make.

“Take care of yourself,” Hachiro says. “And if you manage to get a girlfriend at school, you better not hide it from us.”

With a shake of my head, I reply, “That won’t be happening any time soon.”

“It better not happen until after you graduate,” Dad calls while loading the car. How he could hear us all the way from the driveway, I don’t know.

I roll my eyes, guiding my attention back to my brother. “Take care of them,” I say, hugging him with Hayami squished between us.

Hachiro holds me. We hadn’t hugged like this since we were kids. It’s a feeling I didn’t know I missed until now. “I will.” He takes Hayami back into his arms and she whimpers, reaching out in my direction.

“Don’t worry. I’ll come visit on holidays,” I tell her, although she can still barely understand full sentences. I smile instead and she stops crying, now assured that everything was alright.

My parents rejoin me while Hachiro leaves to put Hayami in the car. This is the goodbye I’ve been dreading. I hate to admit it, but I really would miss them.

“This is it,” Mom starts, tears clinging to her eyes. “I didn’t think the day would come so soon.” She lurches forward and hugs me hard enough to crack my spine in two.

I gasp, but bear through it, holding her back. “Love you too,” I say with the little breath there is in me.

Dad is looking at my wrist. From the way his eyes go wide, I can tell he sees it. I let go of Mom and hold my wrist with the beads on it. “I hope you don’t mind. Mom said I should wear them and I wanted to.”

I can’t tell if he’s bothered by it are not. He only has a look of surprise for several seconds. Eventually, he takes my hand and gazes at the bracelet, a bittersweet expression forming. “But…why would you want to wear them?”

“Well…I want something that will make me remember you. Not only that…” I start, the confidence building inside me because it’s truly how I feel. “I don’t think they should just sit on the shelf forever. They should be worn…and remembered. They’re apart of your past and I want to respect that.” My gaze leaves my wrist and looks up at him. 

His throat bobs as if he’s holding back a cry. His eyes soften and his grip on my hand tightens. All at once, he pulls me into an embrace with his arms firm around my back and torso.

I melt into his arms, the tears spilling from my eyes before I can stop them and staining his shirt sleeve. I hold him and hold him as if I’d never see him again. Mom joins us, hugging my backside so that I’m sandwiched between them. This love, this feeling, I don’t want to let it go even though I have to. 

I cry harder and Dad runs his fingers through my hair. “We love you so much. Thank you. You’re going to make us proud.”

“That’s right!” Mom says and let’s go of me. “And we’ll see you during Christmas!”

I release myself from Dad and wipe my tears away, trying my best not to look like I just had a mini breakdown. “I can’t wait.”

As Dad pulls her away, she begins to sob, which leaves a pain in my chest. “We love you, baby boy.”

I wave, my lip quivering. “I love you.” 

Dad chuckles as he pulls Mom away. It’s so her to get worked up like she never was going to see me again. I want to say I won’t cry a river tonight from being away from her, but I probably would. I always cried for her ever since I was a baby.

They pile into the car and Dad doesn’t stop smiling at me until they drive away. I hurry past the lawn to the roadway beside the forest where they fade off into the distance. It seems unreal. I’m without my family for the first time. I won’t see them each day, wake up to Mom cooking breakfast in the morning, and I won’t be able to tuck Hayami in for the night.

But that’s just what growing up is all about.

The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow is it satisfying to complete a fanfic after not writing one for years. This was so much fun. I really wanted to experiment with writing about Hajime and I’m pleased with how it turned out. I love him SO MUCH. I will definitely be writing more fics about him in the future. Thanks again for reading and I really hope you liked it! :)))


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